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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers

The U.S. economic outlook continues to show modest improvement, but while the manufacturing recovery is on track, caution flags remain for the overall economy.
The Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Quarterly Economic Forecast predicts that inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) will expand by 2.

I suffer from Not-Enough-Hours-In-The-Day Syndrome. I barely have enough time during the day for daily maintenance, let alone preventative maintenance.
Since I have a company computer, I assumed that all of my antivirus software was current and that I was protected from threats. I didn’t think I needed to download any anti-spyware or anti-malware programs.

DETROIT (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell isn't above seeking a little advice as the lockout approaches its 10th week with no end in sight.
Goodell said Thursday he leans on the Ford family, which owns the Detroit Lions, to draw on their labor relations experience in the automobile industry.

GARNER, N.C. (AP) — Production of Slim Jim snacks is ending at a plant in Garner were an explosion killed four people in 2009.
The closing of the ConAgra plant Friday puts 200 employees out of work. ConAgra announced in February it intended to close the plant.
Investigators have said contractors were purging gas lines at the time of the blast, causing the building's roof to collapse.

TOKYO (AP) — Panasonic Corp., which faces a tough road this year after Japan's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, believes it can turn disaster into opportunity as the country rethinks its energy policy.
President Fumio Ohtsubo said Friday his company's recent efforts to move toward environmentally friendly products and renewable energy technologies would eventually pay off.

HOWARD, Wis. (AP) — Two companies involved in an industrial accident that killed an Appleton man have been cited for violations of federal safety rules.
The accident occurred Dec. 2 at Hattiesburg Paper Co. in Green Bay when a forklift struck and toppled a lift that had hoisted two men 30 feet off the ground.

DALLAS (AP) — Five workers were burned, three of them critically, in an accident at a cement plant near Dallas.
The accident happened late Thursday afternoon at the TXI Cement Co. plant in Midlothian, about 25 miles southwest of Dallas.
In a statement issued Thursday evening, TXI said it had few details on how the five were injured, but that they suffered their burns while doing maintenance work in a kiln in the main processing area of the plant.

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Caterpillar says sales of its construction and mining equipment remained strong in April when global sales soared 66 percent over last year.
The company provided an update on its sales Thursday in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Latin America continued to be the strongest region with equipment sales growing 72 percent over last year.

Mass. jobless rates dips to 7.8 percent in April
BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts unemployment rate continued falling in April.
In April the rate dropped to 7.8 percent, down from 8 percent in March and well below the national unemployment rate of 9 percent. That's down from a state high of 8.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Bobcat Co. plans to bring back some production to its shuttered Bismarck factory through the hiring of 35 workers by a logistics company that assembles machines, officials said.
The Bismarck Tribune reported Thursday that Menlo Worldwide Logistics will use part of the 463,000-square-foot production plant that Bobcat closed in December 2009, putting some 500 employees out of work.

DAHLONEGA, Ga. (AP) — Koyo Bearings USA, which plans to complete an expansion of its Lumpkin Countyplant next year, will add 50 employees and is holding a job fair.
The 70,000-square-foot addition will increase the plant's production of roller bearings. Ground was broken earlier this month.

CHICAGO (AP) — The FBI has requested a DNA sample from "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski as part of its investigation into the 1982 deaths of seven Chicago-area people who took cyanide-laced Tylenol from packages that had been tampered with, officials said Thursday.
Kaczynski, who pleaded guilty in 1998 to setting 16 explosions that killed three people and is serving a life sentence in federal prison, has declined to voluntarily provide a DNA sample.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — A St. Joseph man died when a piece of equipment fell on him at the Herzog plant.
Buchanan County officers say 40-year-old Robert V. Montgomery died Wednesday afternoon when the equipment fell on him as he worked on a piece of a railcar. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bipartisan Congressional Caucus also active on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
WASHINGTON — U.S. Reps. Don Manzullo (R-IL) and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) have launched a new website to keep citizens informed of the activities of the House Manufacturing Caucus, which they co-chair.

Northfield Precision Instrument Corporation (Island Park, NY) has introduced their Model DPH-600W chuck, which is a 6” diameter, 6-jaw diaphragm model that has special jaws and six “air detect” holes for part seating confirmation. The chuck is counter-balanced to maintain exact jaw for up to 6,500 rpm.

The piCLASSIC vacuum pump series, from Piab (Hingham, MA), is based on COAX technology and is suitable for a wide range of applications with large capacities. According to the company, it has an initial high amount of flow, which means there is no need for expensive vacuum tanks and valves, and by using compressed air, it is easy to turn on and off, saving energy.

Kinetic Technologies, Inc. (Wickliffe, OH) has released a new custom-designed rotational pick and delivery cart. The 43” wide by 52” long cart is usable in narrow aisle, elevated pick operations and for tight in-plant delivery locations. They feature a four-shelf design with 1,500 pounds of total capacity.

Effluent should be recycled back into brewery operations with less reticence than is currently the case. Throughout many parts of the world, we encounter areas or entire regions where water is scarce and water quality highly suspect. In these situations beer quality is often compromised and production schedule disrupted.

We're all aware that Asia is experiencing a great deal of growth, but what might not be so well-known is just how many people are leaving America to get in on the ground level of the surging growth. Could we be losing out on great minds and potential businesses?
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